Athlone
Athlone (Irish: Baile Átha Luain, meaning "town of Luan's ford") is a town on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree in Ireland. It is the largest town in the Midlands Region. Most of the town lies on the east bank of the river but a section on the west side of the river is also included in the town. The 2011 Census of Ireland recorded the population of the town at 20,153, a 14.8% increase from 2006. Athlone is near the geographical centre of Ireland. History of Athlone Athlone Castle is the geographical and historical center of Athlone. Throughout its early history, the ford of Athlone was strategically important, as south of Athlone the Shannon is impassable until Clonmacnoise, where the Esker Riada meets the Shannon, while to the north it flows into Lough Ree. A bridge was built across the river in the 12th century south of the current structure. To protect the bridge, a fort was constructed on the river's west bank. On a number of occasions both the fort and bridge were subject to attacks, and towards the end of the 12th century the Anglo-Normans constructed a motte-and-bailey fortification there. This earthen fort was followed by a stone structure built in 1210. Throughout the wars that wracked Ireland in the seventeenth century, Athlone contained the vital, main bridge over the River Shannon into Connacht. During the Irish Confederate Wars (1641–53), the town was held by Irish Confederate troops until late 1650. During the pan-European War of the Grand Alliance (1688–97), Athlone was one of the Jacobite strongholds that defended the river-crossings into the confederate-held Province of Connacht following the Battle of the Boyne on 1 July 1690. In 1690 Jacobite forces in Athlone repelled an attack by 10,000 men led by Commander Douglas. In the following year's campaign, the Siege of Athlone saw the town destroyed and captured by a larger Williamite force. Transport Train Athlone railway station has Irish Rail services travelling eastwards to Portarlington,Kildare and Dublin Heuston and westwards to the Westport/Ballina lines as well as to Athenry, Oranmore, and Galway. Connections from Athlone via a train transfer at the Athenry station extend to Ennis and Limerick, while a transfer at Portarlington connects Limerick Junction and Limerick. There are trains from Portarlington to Mallow, and from Mallow to Cork, Killarney, Farranfore, and Tralee. Travel between Athlone and Killdare enables connections to Carlow, Kilkenny, and Waterford. Bus Bus Eireann, the national bus operator, operates beside the railway station and provides an hourly service to Dublin and Galway. Other services provide transportation to Limerick, Dundalk, Waterford, Cavan, Belfast, Longford, and Roscommon. The Flagline bus company operates local bus routes as and a service to Tullamore. Bus Éireann also operates a local Athlone bus service. Route 459: Bus Station, Willow Park (Norwood Court) via Golden Island Shopping Centre, Dublin Road, and Athlone Institute Of Technology Route 459A: Monksland (River Village); Garrycastle (Moydrum Road) via Galway Road, Saint Peter's Avenue, Saint Anne's Terrace, The Batteries, Connaught Street, Northgate Street, Bus Station, Golden Island Shopping Centre, Dublin Road, and Athlone Institute Of Technology. Road The town is situated on the N6 road connecting Galway to Dublin. The route follows a dual carriageway bypass of Athlone around the northern side of the town, crossing the River Shannon into County Roscommon. A number of national secondary roads connect Athlone with other towns and regions. The N55 road connects the town with Ballymahon and Cavan, the N61 road connects it with Roscommon, and the N62 road connects it with Birr, Roscrea, and southern Ireland. The M6 motorway connects the town directly with Dublin and Galway. Taxi service is widely available throughout the area. Culture There are three theatres in Athlone, the Dean Crowe Theatre & Arts Centre, the Little Theatre, and Passionfruit Theatre. The RTÉ All-Ireland Drama Festival takes place annually in Athlone, usually in the month of May. It brings together nine amateur drama groups from across Ireland. The festival is supported by an active fringe which involves street theatre, art exhibitions, workshops, and events for young people. Greenway The Dublin-Galway Greenway cycling and walking route will run through Athlone. The disused Athlone-Mullingar Railway will be used for the greenway in the east, and a new bridge is planned to be built for bicycle and pedestrian traffic beside the Luan Gallery .27 Education and industryedit Athlone's major employers include Élan, a pharmaceutical company that originated in Athlone; Bioclin Laboratories, another pharmaceutical company; Ericsson, a telecommunications business; Tyco Healthcare, a medical equipment supplier; Utah Medical, another medical equipment supplier; Pharmaplaz, another pharmaceutical company; Alienware, a computer hardware business; and Athlone Extrusions, a polymer supplier. Athlone is the regional centre for a large number of state-run and semi-state-run organisations. The Department of Education, State Examinations Commission, Revenue Commissioners, FÁS Midlands Region, Bus Éireann, Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail), IDA Ireland, and Enterprise Ireland all have bases in the town. Athlone is also a major Irish military centre, as the Custume Barracks is the headquarters of the Western Command of the Irish Army. The Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) is the regional third level college. The AIT has a campus size of 44 acres and is planning further development. The institute's new, purpose-built facilities include the Hospitality, Tourism, and Leisure Studies building, built in 2003; the Nursing and Health Science building, built in 2005; the Midlands Innovation and Research Centre, also built in 2005; the Engineering and Informatics building, built in 2010; and the Postgraduate Research Hub, also built in 2010. RTÉ's Midlands studio and office are located at AIT. The Athlone Institute of Technology has a considerable number of international students attending. There are five major secondary schools in the Athlone area, the Athlone Community College, a coeducational school; Our Lady's Bower School, a girls' school;Marist College, a boys' school; St. Aloysius' College, a boys' school; and Summerhill College, a girls' school. Broadcasting Between 1931 and 1975 the main radio transmission centre for Irish radio was located at Moydrum, Athlone Sport In addition to being home to the Athlone Regional Sports Centre, the town has a variety of sporting organisations. Namely, there is the Athlone Town Football Club, who play their home games at Athlone Town Stadium in Lissywollen, an arena with a 5,000 person capacity. The Athlone Town Football Club won the League of Ireland Championship in 1981 and 1983, as well as the FAI Cup in 1924. Athlone is home to several Gaelic football teams, including Tubberclair GAA, Garrycastle GAA, and Athlone GAA, with St. Brigids (Roscommon) GAA and Clann na nGael GAA being located outside Athlone itself. Athlone is also home to Buccaneers RFC, whose the club's grounds are at Dubarry Park.